Sports autographs: Nicklaus has the write stuff

Sign in, please: Jack Nicklaus showed why he's one of the class acts in sports by signing autographs for fans here, as opposed to ditching them like other members of sports royalty.

Can you imagine Tiger Woods sticking around to sign autographs for a mob of golf fans after shooting a so-so round? Or how about an NBA star who missed a clutch basket or an NFL quarterback who tossed a critical interception?

Neither can I.

Yet there was 73-year-old Jack Nicklaus, Sharpie in hand, patiently signing away Monday after posting a less-than-stellar score (for him) in the first round of the Liberty Mutual of Legends of Golf Demaret Division at The Club at Savannah Harbor.

Forget that shooting a 3-under 69 at Savannah Harbor is mighty impressive for 99.9 percent of those who play this cruel and fickle game. That's not the point. Instead, what was most impressive about the Golden Bear is his understanding of the Golden Rule -- do unto others and give back to the fans.

Too bad more of the gazillionaire gods of the sporting world don't appreciate the importance of signing autographs. Where would many of them be if not for fans who follow their every move, who live vicariously through their performances, and who crave their names on something tangible?

I'll tell you where they'd be: Driving a truck, working construction or selling cars.

Yes, maybe some of those Masters flags that Nicklaus signed here Monday will show up on eBay, like fellow Legends competitor Lee Trevino said. (On Monday afternoon, there were 211 active listings on eBay for Nicklaus-signed golf memorabilia.) Still, it's important for pro athletes to stop and spare a few minutes of their time. And sign. Especially for kids.

Once, during my pipsqueak years, I tried to get Roberto Clemente to autograph a program before a baseball game in Cincinnati. He refused. He's still one of baseball's all-time greats, and he may have been in an awful mood that day. But many decades later, I still remember the glumness that comes with getting the brushoff.

In Monday's photo of the throng surrounding Nicklaus, I noticed far more autograph hounds with receding hairlines than youthful faces. But I'd like to think many of them wanted his autograph for the right reasons, not to make a quick buck. Nicklaus didn't didn't seem to care. He doesn't discriminate or try to determine a motive. He wasn't leaving until the last fan did.

That's why he's one of the class acts in sports. It also reminds me of what Arnold Palmer, the all-time King of Golf, once wrote.

Palmer has one of the best autographs in sports. An Associated Press reporter wrote an excellent piece about it ("Palmer still sets example of legible autographs") only a few weeks ago.

Here's what Arnie said about autographs in his autobiography, "A Golfer's Life." I know from first-hand experience that many of the old guys who play the Senior Tour and are in Savannah this week take it to heart:

"I feel it's important for an athlete to sign autographs, and I get riled up when I see a younger Tour player blowing past a group of kids who merely want him to pause and acknowledge their presence. Where does that fortunate young man think the next generation of golfers will come from, to say nothing of the game's fans? In my mind, it's all about giving back whatever you can whenever you can."